Tousek upstages teammates to win bars

The Canadian is the only two-time Olympian in collegiate gymnastics, but the 20-year-old freshman came into the NCAA Championships this week with the fifth-best average score on the uneven bars -- on her team.

On Saturday night, she knocked off all of her teammates who ranked ahead of her, as well as six other of the nation's top gymnasts to win the NCAA uneven bars championship with a score of 9.938.

''I still had a lot of excitement from last night,'' said Tousek, of the celebration and nervous energy following the Bruins celebration of their team title that kept her up until 3 a.m. ''But I was happy to come away with a title on a personal level.''

But an individual title on the event seemed a long way off on Feb. 16 when she suffered a bad fall on bars against Oregon State.

UCLA coach Valorie Kondos Field said she had to work with Tousek after the Olympics on getting more height on her dismount. Kondos Field said Tousek was able to change the technique she had been using her whole life in the middle of the season.

''It was a scary fall,'' Kondos Field said. ''And, her last few meets coming into NCAAs she performed better and better on the bars.''

Willis, the 2001 NCAA all-around champion, finished second with a score of 9.9125. Michigan's Elise Ray and Utah's Theresa Kulikowski, who won the beam competition earlier in the evening, tied for third with a scores of 9.9.